The earpiece holds great promise as a wearable device. However, one of the challenges with incorporating various functionality into an earpiece is the relatively small space. What is needed is technology which allows for improved functionality for an earpiece but reduces the amount of space required.
For example, currently, two separate sensor assemblies are required for the proper determination of pulse oximetry and audio detection in an earpiece device. This means that the user must wear a device that is large enough to accommodate both of these sensors. This causes problems with design and usability, as well as creating further issues with costs of the materials required to provide an adequate audio and pulse oximetry signal for processing. In addition, further work is required in order to provide shielding from other components of the device, due to the space available in comparison to the amount of electronic components needed to support each input modality. What is needed is a new combined optical sensor for detecting both audio signals as well as pulse oximetry.